The subject of housing has generated much discussion and interest in the developing countries especially in Nigeria. In most developing countries today, the provision of shelter is grossly inadequate despite several decades of direct government intervention in the shelter sector. Private Estate developers have also contributed in developing housing estates to relieve the great pressure on housing problem .All with the focus of providing adequate and affordable shelter for all (the masses/urban poor). Adequate and affordable housing and infrastructure is in short supply in Nigeria while marginal success have been achieved from Governments’ various approaches at accelerating housing provision. It has been observed that the phenomenal rise in population, spontaneous increase in size of most Nigerian cities have hitherto led to acute shortage of decent and affordable dwellings. The practice of some private sectors involves acquiring land and developing large estates where the houses are offered for sale as “ready-to-move-in units”. Several previous studies have focused on the role of government agencies (public sectors) in housing provision but adequate attention has not been given to the role of private sector in housing provision. This paper examines private sector participation in urban housing provision in Nigeria. This paper also aimed to contribute to the discourse on housing paradigm shift from public sector provision to private sector market-driven housing delivery in Nigeria. It is recommended that Government housing policy need to be proactive.
Keywords: Nigeria, Participation, Private Sectors, Urban Housing Provision
